Bye-Bye Passwords, Hello All-Purpose ‘Key’

Way back in December 2011, we ran a piece that asked whether passwords were indeed becoming obsolete!? Over, the past year or so there has been sufficient buzz to suggest that the Big Daddies of the world of the data and technology are working on a more secure protection & identification service. While Google started work on a new password management system for Chrome, the launch of OneID made multiple accounts username-password unnecessary. Now, there is news trickling in that Google may indeed make passwords obsolete . And how will they manage that? By ensuring that USB keys, mobile phones and even personal jewellery have enough data to act as a physical ‘key’ that would give users access to their accounts. This key will store all the relevant data of the individual, will grant access to the user to all accounts and even open tabs of their favourite websites without the user manually inserting any data. These keys are expected to be underwater and drop resistant. For example, the ring that I wear daily can be encrypted or fitted with a chip that holds all my data. All I need to do is tap the computer screen with the ring to access my accounts. Google Vice President of Security Eric Grosse and engineer Mayank Upadhyay are slated to give details about the functioning of this key in the upcoming issue of I EEE Security and Privacy Magazine. According to Wired, the pair wrote the following in their paper, “ Along with many in the industry, we feel passwords and simple bearer tokens such as cookies are no longer sufficient to keep users safe .” Of course there looms the danger of the key being lost. What happens in this context is yet to be explained by Google. If this technology does see the light of day, it will definitely make the internet a more secure place and hackers would be forced to get creative! I am excited to see an actual ‘ key ’ and use it regularly, aren’t you too? Follow @Muted_Musings Image Courtesy | digitaltrends Looking For A Social Media Agency?? – Contact WATConsult – India’s Leading Social Media Agency

Way back in December 2011, we ran a piece that asked whether passwords were indeed becoming obsolete!? Over, the past year or so there has been sufficient buzz to suggest that the Big Daddies of the world of the data and technology are working on a more secure protection & identification service. While Google started work on a new password management system for Chrome, the launch of OneID made multiple accounts username-password unnecessary. Now, there is news trickling in that Google may indeed make passwords obsolete . And how will they manage that? By ensuring that USB keys, mobile phones and even personal jewellery have enough data to act as a physical ‘key’ that would give users access to their accounts. This key will store all the relevant data of the individual, will grant access to the user to all accounts and even open tabs of their favourite websites without the user manually inserting any data. These keys are expected to be underwater and drop resistant. For example, the ring that I wear daily can be encrypted or fitted with a chip that holds all my data. All I need to do is tap the computer screen with the ring to access my accounts. Google Vice President of Security Eric Grosse and engineer Mayank Upadhyay are slated to give details about the functioning of this key in the upcoming issue of I EEE Security and Privacy Magazine. According to Wired, the pair wrote the following in their paper, “ Along with many in the industry, we feel passwords and simple bearer tokens such as cookies are no longer sufficient to keep users safe .” Of course there looms the danger of the key being lost. What happens in this context is yet to be explained by Google. If this technology does see the light of day, it will definitely make the internet a more secure place and hackers would be forced to get creative! I am excited to see an actual ‘ key ’ and use it regularly, aren’t you too? Follow @Muted_Musings Image Courtesy | digitaltrends Looking For A Social Media Agency?? – Contact WATConsult – India’s Leading Social Media Agency